My Mentoring Experience - Valeriya Grebenkova

Why did you decide to seek the help of a mentor at King’s?

This is very much connected to the reasons why I decided to do my master's degree at King’s. When I arrived in London, I had six years of practicing law behind me. It is a very intense and challenging field and I started to feel that I needed some perspective before I decided which direction my career should go next. Doing an LL.M. at King’s was my chance to do so. Days before arriving in London and starting my degree, I received an e-mail from the Leadership Mentoring Program at King's inviting students to apply for mentorship. I was not sure what the whole experience would look like, but there was one thing I knew – I really needed a fresh and open-minded perspective from a person who had similar experiences and struggles to help me decide what to do next. I am very passionate about my profession, but even the biggest love affairs come to the point of doubt and reconsideration. This was one of those points and I was looking forward to being connected with my future mentor.

How have you benefited from having Neil as a mentor?

The benefits of going through the mentoring program with Neil are frankly immeasurable. Not only have I found a safe space to discuss my career goals and how to shape my career going forward, but I have also had a chance to understand how to find the right balance between my career aspirations and personal happiness. He somehow managed to always ask the right questions and broaden my awareness of myself. As a lawyer himself, Neil has an excellent understanding of the struggles I have been going through and his advice was always deeply insightful. I joined the mentorship program full of doubts about the future, and I ended up loving the law even more. The key takeaway which I found life changing was the realisation that difficulties and doubts in studies, career choices and career progression are just as normal as anything else and once you stumble upon the difficulty, it is your chance to become an even better professional. 

What has been the highlight of your mentoring partnership?

Many things come to mind, so it is difficult to pick one highlight. I would probably say the advice Neil gave me to focus on role models and broaden my network of connections in the legal field, and not to be shy to approach my chosen role models to discuss my questions with them. It has broadened my professional network and helped me connect with some very well-known people in the field which I otherwise would have been shy to approach. Another highlight was the mock job interview Neil and I did while I was in the process of job hunting in London (which I started well in advance of graduating from my master's program at King’s). As Neil is an experienced lawyer himself, he helped me understand the specifics of the London market and gave a lot of useful tips.

Why do you think having a mentor is important?

For young graduates, professionals starting out and everyone who is just starting to navigate their journey in their chosen field, I would say having a mentor is a must. It is a safe space to ask questions, express concerns and doubt yourself, connect with people and have exclusive access to the knowledge and experience the King’s alumni have to offer to their colleagues. This is not something one can read in books on self-development as it is strictly personal - this is the beauty of it. There are no right or wrong answers when you move towards your goals and aspire to become a leader in a chosen field. King’s is offering the best resource to achieve one’s goals – a network of like-minded, successful alumni who can become one’s contacts for a lifetime.

What’s the best piece of advice you received from Neil? 

I think of all the things we have discussed, the best thing Neil has told me was that pursuit of success is not a game where the rules are known in advance. The art is to make it enjoyable for yourself, discover and enhance your strengths, and work on your weaknesses.

What would you say to other students interested in mentoring?

I would say do it - it will change the way you look at things dramatically. Remember though that this is a two way road: the mentor will not solve all your doubts for you if you have not done your homework and spent a considerable amount of time reflecting on your present and future, your weaknesses and strengths. Stay on top of things, read, ask and discover and you will see that having a mentor by your side is a unique experience which King’s is offering. Also, the deeper understanding of oneself is important because it gives the King’s team an opportunity to connect you with the right mentor for you. I wanted to take this opportunity to say a huge thanks to Natalie Balchin [Alumni Volunteering Manager in the Alumni Office] for the amazing job she has done connecting me with Neil.

King’s Connect is a networking platform that allows both students and alumni to connect to the wider King’s community and expand their professional network by building long-lasting relationships. Sign up today at kingsconnect.org.uk